Other destinations

Hardangervidda - Largest mountain plateau in Europe and the largest national park in Norway.
Folgefonna - Glacier located on the east side of the Hardangerfjord
Kvamskogen - Mountain area. Home to several skiing resorts.

Understand

When thinking of Norway, most people think of fjords and mountains, and to that degree, Hardanger is one the most stereotypical Norwegian areas in Norway. The region covers the area from Kvam in the west, up north along the Hardangerfjord to Granvin and Ulvik in the north, Eidfjord in the east, and down along the Sørfjord to Odda in the south. Roads cling to the mountainsides along the fjord, and there are three ferries crossing the fjords. Apart from the grand nature, the region is most famous for it's huge fruit production. Farms growing apples, pears, cherries and plums cover almost all the fields along the fjords. This makes the region a spectacular travel location during the fruit blooming in May and early June. The region is also home of several notable artists, musicians and writers. The mountain-areas of the region are good locations for skiing and winter sports. The Folgefonna glacier also has a summer-ski center.

There are no boat lines serving Hardanger, however you can easily sail here in your own boat. Follow the Hardangerfjord to Norheimsund where you will find a well equiped guest-harbor.

Get around

The easiest way of getting around once you reach Hardanger, is by using a car. However Skyss] operates several local bus-lines which covers the entire region. If you bring a bicycle, the area is well suited for biking trips. Hiking in Hardanger is also recommended.

See

Itineraries

Do

Eat

Hardanger is famous for it's fruit. Small fruit stalls can be found along all major roads from late summer 'till mid-fall. Most of these stalls are not manned, but rely on the honesty of the customer. Most often there is a small jar where you leave the money for the purchased products. Stealing from these jars would be considered extremely rude.

Drink

The Hardanger apple-cider is world famous, and should be tried if you find yourself in the region. The cider comes in both alcholic and non-alcoholic variants. However, due to national law, the variant containing alcohol can no longer be sold outside the state owned liquor store, where it is only rarely available, The non-alcholic variant is sold from the fruit stall along all major roads from August 'till early October. The price ranges from 50NOK to 80NOK per litre.